She Just Needed a Family
by AsLostAsAliceAsMadAsTheHatter
Summary: Sequel to She Just Needed a Little Love. They're back, and now they have a baby. But can Cruella overcome depression and step up to her new role?
1. The Birth

Lynn and Cruella got settled in the back of the Rolls before any conversation took place. Lynn slumped back and placed a hand on her swollen belly, rubbing circles in hopes of calming her child. She hadn't been able to get comfortable all day, as her lower back had been killing her. She was way past her due date, and was almost to the point of inducing labor, the only reason she hadn't being Cruella's insistence to go completely natural. She felt off, more so than usual, and had the feeling deep down that they wouldn't have to wait much longer to meet the little bundle of joy.

"Are you all right, darling?"

She turned her head to face Cruella before smiling and answering. "Fine, my back just hurts."

"Turn around."

Lynn had learned not to question the older woman and thus did as she was told, knowing whatever was going to happen was supposed to help her. She found herself pulled back with the older woman's legs on either side of her body. Cruella began to massage her lower back, and she barely held in a groan at how good it felt. They continued on for a bit, and Lynn was almost asleep when she felt the car roll to a stop.

"Alonzo!" Cruella snapped, "Why have we stopped?!"

"T-traffic jam, M-madam."

"Well, do something about it! I don't want to sit here all day!"

"B-but Madam, I h-have no c-control o-over the t-traffic."

Swearing under her breath, the older woman settled back against the seat and resumed rubbing her friend's back. They seemed to inch forward every few minutes, and the longer they idled the more pain the expectant mother was in. Cruella's massage had long since stopped helping, and the pain was beginning to escalate and wrap around her belly. Suddenly, Lynn felt what she thought was a contraction. She brushed it off because she had been having braxton hicks contractions since before her due date, and had already been to the hospital twice.

She didn't want to alarm her friend and tried to keep calm by breathing slowly. She felt another contraction. This one was stronger, and it was all she could do not to whimper. Her muscles tensed, and she exhaled slowly after it passed. Luckily, Cruella was still so upset about being stuck in traffic that she didn't question it.

As time passed, the contractions became more frequent and the pain increased. They hadn't gone very far, about a kilometer, and they had been there an hour. Lynn was concentrating on not screaming and was rubbing her belly when she felt pressure down there. At first, she thought she had to go to the bathroom. That was why she lurched forward when she felt fluid gushing down her legs.

She reached down shakily, and her fingers met with a damp seat.

"Please be urine, please be urine," she muttered as she tentatively sniffed her fingertips. Her eyes grew wide. "Shit! That's not pee!"

"Lynn, what's the matter?"

She was about to answer, but screamed instead as another contraction nearly ripped her in half. Her fingers gripped the edge of the seat as she screamed. Cruella suspected what was happening, but had to ask anyway because she fervently hoped otherwise.

"Please darling, please tell me you're not in labor." Lynn didn't answer, so she ventured to ask again. "Are you in labor?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm in labor! What do you think?!" Lynn ground out through clenched teeth.

"Well you don't have to be so snippy!"

"Cruella, I'm in excruciating pain carrying my child and your heir. I think I've been having contractions for the past hour, and it feels like she's trying to claw her way out. I can't help but be a little snippy."

The older woman instantly apologized and began fawning over the young woman. She helped her turn and lie on the seat before helping her out of her leggings. Her dress was long enough, and Lynn wanted to be sure she could push if the time came.

"Alonzo!" the woman screeched. "Get us to the hospital now! The baby is coming!"

"I c-can't move, M-madam!"

He was every bit as frightened as she was, and it showed in the way his hands trembled on the wheel. With a growl, Cruella whipped out her cell and dialed 9-1-1.

"Yes? This is Cruella De Vil, and my Lynn darling is having a baby. How far along is she? It doesn't bloody matter! Her water has broken and we're stuck in traffic!

"Send a bloody ambulance!" She winced as Lynn screamed. "Do you hear that? That's her. Either get an ambulance here or you're going to need one yourself!"

She stabbed at the phone, cracking the screen with her clawed glove. It sparked, then died. Lynn couldn't help but smile. Leave it Cruella to break a cell phone when they needed it most.

"Imbeciles!" the older woman spat in disgust. "They said they couldn't send an ambulance unless you were dilated past three centimeters."

"So there won't be an ambulance?"

"Oh no, there will be. Your screams convinced them."

It was another forty-five minutes before the ambulance arrived. Lynn's contractions continued, growing closer together and more painful the longer they waited. Just before the ambulance workers reached them, the young woman felt the baby shift. She had just begun to truly panic when a young woman opened the door and poked her head in.

"Hello, hello. How are we doing?"

"How do you think I'm fucking doing?!" Lynn spat as a contraction ripped through her body, so strong that her stomach rippled.

"Well, let's get you onto the gurney and we'll be on our way."

With the help of three other EMTs, Lynn was strapped onto the gurney and rolled to the ambulance, Cruella following suit. When she tried to climb in behind the gurney, a man blocked her way.

"Sorry lady, you can't ride with 'er."

"Out of my way, you oaf!"

"I said you can't go in there!"

"Stop!" Lynn shouted, and everyone became still. "She either comes with me or I have the baby right here on the side of the highway."

The workers looked at each other and the man blocking Cruella's path stepped out of the way. With a glare, she climbed into the back with the young soon-to-be mother. The female attendant immediately checked her vitals and the baby's vitals. They were both coming along nicely, and they sped off to the hospital. Once there, the two women were immediately ushered into a private birthing suite and Lynn's gynecologist checked her over.

"You're doing great, Miss Smith. You're already at six centimeters. It won't be long now."

The young woman lay, writhing in pain, on the bed. She was gripping the bed rails desperately as contraction after contraction ran through her body.

"Drugs! Drugs! I want drugs! Give me the damn epidural!"

"Well," Cruella snarled when the woman didn't move, "what are you waiting for? Give her the epidural!"

The poor doctor, who had only met Cruella a handful of times, almost dropped her clipboard in her haste to examine Lynn for the epidural.

"I'm sorry, but you're too far along for the procedure. If we were to do it now it could harm both you and your child."

"So, you mean...oh God!" She looked at Cruella desperately. "Cruella, I can't do this without those pain killers."

The older woman bit her lip, an unusual action for her, before turning back to the doctor.

"Is there anything you can give her?"

"Sorry Ms. De Vil, she's too far into the process."

The older woman sighed before nodding her head. "Very well, thank you."

Not waiting to find out how the expectant mother was going to react, she dashed as quickly out of the room as decorum would allow. Pulling a hideous plastic chair to the side of the bed, Cruella curled her legs underneath her and settled in for the duration of her friend's labor. She reached out to take Lynn's hand, but the young woman pulled it away.

"Don't," she managed to say through a contraction. "I'm afraid I'll break your hand."

"Well, we are in a hospital, darling."

Lynn smiled at her and laid back against her pillows, exhausted already. Throughout the next few hours, it was all she could do to remain sane. The pain had long since passed the point where she could tolerate it, and yet continued to grow worse. Cruella was almost asleep, worry and the day in general taking its toll on her. During a break between contractions, which were becoming shorter and more infrequent, Lynn felt the baby shift and drop downward.

She sucked in a breath, fear consuming her as she realized what was about to happen. The last time the doctor had been in she had said she was fully dilated, and that all they had to do was wait for the baby to drop into the birth canal. The next contraction was the worst, and it took her breath away so that she couldn't even scream.

"Cruella," she gasped after it had passed, "buzz for the doctor. It's time."

Her last syllable turned into a scream as another contraction ripped through her. The doctor came in looking flustered, and Lynn realized Cruella hadn't stopped pressing the button that summoned her. The older woman's eyes were wide with fear, and Lynn came to understand something. One person in Cruella's life had been a miracle. Two was just plain impossible. The fact that one of those people was a tiny infant wasn't helping.

She was brought back to herself with the next contraction and the doctor's words.

"All right Miss Smith, you're ready to go. Let me get into some scrubs and we'll have a baby."

Cruella looked shell-shocked for a split second before taking Lynn's hand. In what seemed like seconds, the hospital room was full of people. Cruella released her friend's hand and took what was normally the father's position on Lynn's right side. She reached out her hand, and through her haze of pain, Lynn registered that it was trembling ever so slightly. She reached over and took it, giving the older woman a reassuring smile.

"Okay Lynn, on the next contraction I need you to push."

She released her friend's hand in favor of the bed rails. Taking a deep breath as the next wave of pain began, she gripped the rails fiercely and screamed. After the usual count of ten, she collapsed, gasping, onto the pillows.

"Cruella, I don't think I can do this," she panted. "What if I'm not a good mother?"

"Shhh, shhh, darling." She smoothed a hand over Lynn's face and cupped her cheek. "You wanted this baby, and you tried so hard to get her. Well, now you've got her," she smiled and put her hand on her stomach, "don't give up just yet."

Lynn looked at her with wonder and love, and something else she couldn't quite place.

"Thank you," she whispered, never breaking eye contact. "Do you remember those movies we watched on Hallmark a few weeks ago? Where the husband held the woman from behind while she was in labor?"

She watched as realization dawned on the older woman's face. Carefully, she sat forward so she could fit behind her. In seconds, one of Cruella's legs was on either side of her hips and she found her back resting against her front. Pale hands, minus gloves, appeared in her peripheral vision. She took them, and feeling the next contraction coming, squeezed hard.

It was all the hospital staff could do not to "aww" at the moving speech and scene before them. It seemed to have given the young mother confidence, and having the older woman behind her seemed to ease her pain, if only a fraction. On the next contraction she pushed with renewed strength.

"All right Lynn, you're doing wonderfully." The doctor pressed on her stomach, and seemed to come to decision. "Just breathe through this one. I'll tell you when to push again."

"Cruella," Lynn panted as her head fell back to rest on a couture clad shoulder. Instantly she felt cool fingers on her sweaty forehead. "Thank you," she sighed in relief as she closed her eyes for the minute or so before the next contraction.

The older woman smiled but inside she was panicking. She had no idea what she was doing. She had never been witness to a birth in her life. What if she wasn't helping? And she was scared, not that she'd admit it.

Her Lynn darling was in so much pain and there was nothing she could do to help. What if something happened to her? What if something happened to the baby? She had heard stories of hemorrhaging and stillbirths. What if that happened?

She was just beginning to panic when she felt a weak grip on her hand. She looked down into Lynn's pain-glazed eyes.

"I want you to know that I couldn't do this without you." Her forehead crinkled as she read the fear in the older woman's eyes. "Don't worry, I'm fine. We're fine."

"All right Lynn, push!"

Lifting herself off the older woman's shoulder she did just that, screaming profanities in several languages. Once finished, she once again collapsed backwards.

"My, darling, I never knew you had such an extensive vocabulary."

"Yes, well, you'd know several languages too if you dealt with pompous pricks from around the world on a daily basis." Her eyes darted to her doctor as she felt the next contraction coming on. "Get this thing out of me!"

As the labor progressed, the more the air thickened with tension and excitement. Cruella, for her part, encouraged the young woman and tried to find out where that little speech had come from. She was jolted from her thoughts by the doctor's cry of "She's crowning!"

All movement seemed to cease as everyone waited with baited breath for the baby to enter the world. With a final push and a scream, Lynn collapsed backwards. Cruella leaned around her as the doctor stood and handed off a squirming bundle. The nurses busied themselves with it, and just as both women were beginning to worry, a small mewling sound was heard. The two women looked at each other, and the world around them faded.

The sound escalated into a full-blown cry, and they found themselves with tears beginning to form.

"Ms. De Vil, would you like to cut the cord?"

She glanced at the new mother nervously, and when she gave a weak nod, she eased out from behind her and went over to the baby and the nurses. A young blonde handed her a pair of surgical scissors, while the other held the baby in place. Slowly and carefully, she cut through the umbilical cord. Once her job was complete, she was ushered away as the baby was checked over. In minutes, the baby was swaddled and handed over to a very nervous Cruella.

"Congratulations," the doctor said to the pair. "You have a beautiful, healthy little girl."

"L-Lynn darling, am I doing it right?"

She had never held a baby in her life, and it showed in her rigid posture. The exhausted woman glanced over as she pushed to get the afterbirth out.

"Just relax and support her head."

As soon as possible, Cruella handed the little girl off to her mother. Lynn was exhausted from her day of labor. But her daughter was beautiful. When Cruella laid her in her arms and she opened her eyes, she was lost. There was no one else on the planet that she loved as much as her baby.

She had bright blue eyes like all newborns, but there was a certain spark there that could have only been obtained by listening to Cruella for nine months. She had soft downy hair, red, just as Lynn had hoped it would be. Her skin was like porcelain, perfect with no freckles, and dimples when she smiled, which she was currently doing. She held out her finger, and her daughter latched on with an impressive grip.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm your mommy. And this," she readjusted so that her daughter could see her friend, "is your Aunt Cruella. She's a bit crazy, but I love her anyway."

Mesmerized by the tiny new life, the older woman didn't have it in her to respond. She sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arm around the new mother. They sat in silence for a few moments, just staring down at the little miracle. They both jumped when she began to cry, and then Lynn just laughed and pulled down the top of her gown. She latched on and began to nurse.

"What are we going to call her?" Cruella asked.

"She's not a puppy, darling," Lynn responded with a chuckle. "But I was thinking Angelica Loretta De Vil."

"Angelica Loretta...It's perfect."

**AN: So, I tweaked this chapter because I wasn't completely satisfied with it. but now it's fixed so enjoy, and don't forget to review!**


	2. Tragedy Strikes

She was in the middle of pacing the halls when she got the call. Angel had been crying and couldn't sleep, most likely missing her mother, otherwise she wouldn't have been anywhere near a phone. And for the rest of her life she would wish she had never answered it. Shifting the crying eight month old to one arm, she snagged the receiver with the other hand. Bouncing in place, she snapped into the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this the De Vil residence?" an unfamiliar masculine voice asked.

Cruella felt a chill shoot down her spine and a feeling of dread settled in her stomach. The baby even quieted, eyes red and hiccupping.

"Yes, to whom am I speaking?"

"This is Captain Bailey down at Scotland Yard. Do you know a Lynn Smith?"

Her blood turned to ice.

"Y-yes. Why? What's happened?"

There was a sigh before the captain spoke again. "Ms. Smith was found just outside or Heathrow a few hours ago. She had been severely wounded, stabbed it looks like. She was taken to the London Hospital. It's not looking good, and the staff advised we call the next of kin."

When he didn't get a reply he grew worried the woman had fainted. "Ms. De Vil? Ms. De Vil? Are you all right?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you for calling, constable."

She hung up without saying goodbye. In a daze, she somehow managed to dress both herself and Angel and get them both into her Panther De Vil. She didn't know how she managed to get to the hospital in one piece, but all too soon she found herself standing outside of her best friend's door. She took a fortifying breath, shifted the baby, and marched inside. Her heart shattered at what was inside.

Lynn, her beautiful Lynn, was lying there, not moving, not making a sound. There were several monitors scattered around the bed, and tubes and IVs everywhere. When she looked closer, she realized the young woman wasn't even breathing on her own. Biting back sobs, she went and sat on the edge if the bed, careful not to disturb any of the machines keeping the young woman alive. She took her hand, only then noticing her own were free of gloves.

The you woman didn't stir, didn't show any indication that she knew the older woman was there. The baby whimpered, and Cruella shushed her with a kiss to the head. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't even supposed to be back in the country yet. It had just been a bloody business trip, for crying out loud!

They had so many years ahead of them. Now they were disappearing before her eyes. Life after the baby had been hectic but wonderful. There had been the midnight feedings to get used to, the almost constant crying, sleep deprivation, not to mention that Cruella had been forced to quit smoking. But now life was perfect.

They had settled into their new lives with surprising ease, and astonishingly Cruella was a wonderful mother. She had been just as surprised as Lynn, but thrilled at the same time. Angel had shown unconditional love from the beginning, and this just caused Cruella to open up even more. Sitting on that bed and grasping her darling's hand, she saw all their years together flash by. What could have been followed, and tears began to roll down her face.

One landed on the top of Angel's head, and she looked up at her mother with large blue eyes. She couldn't understand why she was crying, and she didn't know why her mama was so quiet and surrounded by machines, but she didn't like it. From the moment she could think on her own, she'd understood she had two mothers. She didn't question it, she just loved them. And now her mother was sad.

Angel wished she could comfort her and tell her it would be all right, but she hadn't spoken yet. But maybe if she tried really hard...

"Mmm-mmmm."

Cruella looked down at the child on her lap. It sounded almost as if she were trying to speak, but she had yet to say her first word.

"Mmm-a." Well she was closer, that was a start. "Mmm-ma." There, that was half of it. She was going to get it because she was a De Vil, by gosh, and De Vils didn't give up! "Mmm-a! Mmm-a!" Darn it! She was so close, she could feel it!

"What is it, love? Are you sad, too?"

No! She wasn't sad! Just a little more, then her mother would see!

"MmmMama." There! She had it! "Mama."

Cruella froze and looked at the little girl. Angel smiled, pleased with herself.

"Mama." What was wrong? Wasn't her mother happy? "Mama?" she repeated, though it was unsure and questioning.

Cruella was stunned. Angel's first word and Lynn had missed it. It was so wonderful, yet so sad, as the darling girl was calling for her. Noticing the apprehensive look on the baby's face, she quickly responded, though it was shaky and broken by tears.

"Yes, darling, that's your Mum. She's asleep right now, but she'll wake up soon."

What was her mother talking about? Didn't she realize Angel had addressed her? Well, she'd have to try again. Reaching out, she took a fistful of fabric and pulled, calling out at the same time.

"Mama, Mama."

Cruella turned her head, prepared to answer, when she saw blue eyes gazing up at her. It sank in then just who she was calling mama.

"No, darling, I'm not your mum. But thank you."

One of the monitors began to beep faster, the heart monitor, she saw when she looked. Lynn's heart rate was going up.

"Lynn, darling, can you hear me?" She didn't respond. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." And there, for a fleeting second, was a very light pressure. "Darling, you have to wake up, do you hear me?"

The heart monitor sped up for a second before beginning to slow.

"No! No! You have to fight! Angel needs you! I need you!"

The monitor sped up once again before slowing, this time plummeting drastically.

"Lynn Alexa Smith, you better not leave me! Think of the future, of raising Angel together, of the adventures we have yet to experience." She grew quiet for a moment, contemplating how to further encourage the young woman. "Angel said her first word. It was muma."

She stopped, tears choking her. "Please darling, I can't do this alone. I love you. Come back to us."

She knew, deep down, that Lynn was fighting as hard as humanly possible. She knew she didn't really want to leave. And she knew she loved her, too. But at the moment, she just wanted her to wake up, wipe her tears away, and tell her everything was all right. She wanted this nightmare from hell to be over.

Besides, Lynn was so young. She was only thirty-five, she still had a long life ahead of her. Cruella sobbed harder at this thought, and, afraid she was going to drop the baby, put her in her carrier. That done, she resumed her position on the side of the bed, the beeping of monitors her only company. She sat there, and she thought and remembered, begged and prayed, but nothing made Lynn wake up.

She had almost cried herself to sleep when the silence registered. Not so much the silence, as there was none, but the length between heartbeats. She looked up at the heart monitor, realizing that her Lynn darling hadn't much time left. Slowly, tears flowing freely and her body wracked with sobs, she crawled up to lie beside the young woman. She cradled her against her body, and whispered over and over that she loved her.

The flatline signaled that she was gone, but she didn't move. Nurses and doctors rushed in and began trying to revive her, but Cruella knew it was useless. Her Lynn was gone. After the doctors stopped their futile efforts, they stepped back and gazed sadly at the pair. Cruella had curled around Lynn's body, not yet ready to let her go.

One man finally couldn't take it anymore and cleared his throat. Cruella looked up at him, tears still flowing down her face. His eyes widened as he recognized her, but he kept his composure.

"I'm sorry, Ms. De Vil. We did everything we could."

She nodded once before hiding her face again. The staff left, not wishing to intrude as she gave her final goodbye. She waited until she heard the door click before lifting her head. She kissed Lynn's forehead, each of her cheeks, and finally a quick kiss on the lips, just as she had seen her do with Angel. She brushed her hair off her face and stood.

"Goodbye, Lynn darling. I love you."

That said, she picked up Angel's carrier and exited the room with as much grace as her tear-streaked face and rumpled clothes would allow.

**AN: "Death never pierces the heart so much as when it takes someone we love; cleaving the heart they held with their passing." - I forget**


	3. Her Baby

The weeks after Lynn's death were the hardest Cruella had ever faced. The whole manor took on an air of despair and mourning that nothing could lift. There was a certain sad quality to the air that suggested life as the inhabitants knew it was over. Lynn's absence was acutely noticed, and Cruella felt as if a piece of her soul had died along with her. Now when she had nightmares they were about her death and she'd wake screaming, thinking it was only a dream, only to have reality slam into her like a double decker bus.

* * *

><p>The funeral was possibly the most difficult thing she had done in her life. The service was small but beautiful with only Cruella and a few of Lynn's other friends in attendance. Her father and sister refused to come. Angel didn't really understand what was going on, only that her mother was sad and her mama was nowhere to be found. It broke Cruella's heart into even smaller pieces as she tried to explain to the infant that her mother would not be coming back.<p>

After the funeral came the custody trial. It was all over papers world-wide. Lynn's father must have decided that he wanted Angel because he made an appearance at the trial to contest Lynn's will, which stated in the event of her death Cruella would receive complete custody. He claimed she was an unfit mother and used her unstable mentality as evidence. The judge was forced to remove Lynn from Cruella's care as the court investigated James' statement.

The infant screamed and cried as she was forced out of her mother's arms. The older woman reached after her and tried to follow but was restrained. The trial went on for days and it began to look as if James would be granted custody. Cruella was a wreck. She had already lost one important person in her life, she wasn't prepared to lose another.

Her lawyer brought up the Thanksgiving visit so many years before. He suggested that she point out that James had not been in contact with Lynn for eight years. At the final meeting Cruella demanded that James take the stand.

"Mr. Smith, is it true that you and your daughter parted on less than amicable terms?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time you saw or spoke to her?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"About eight years ago, am I correct? The Thanksgiving visit?"

"Yes, that seems correct."

He began to squirm when the jury began to murmur.

"And have you ever seen your granchild?"

"No."

"Were you notified of your daughters' death?"

"Yes."

"And did you attend the funeral?"

"No, I didn't."

The murmuring grew louder and it became obvious that he was not well liked.

"Then why do feel you would be a better guardian than Ms. De Vil? You've never seen the child in question, yet Ms. De Vil was there when she was born and has assisted the deceased in raising her for the past eight and a half months." He turned away from James to address the jury. "People of the jury, this man has not seen his daughter for eight years, has not even laid eyes on his grandchild, and yet he wishes to become her legal guardian, thus uprooting her from the loving home she has known all her life. He didn't even attend his own child's funeral."

Cruella's lawyer turned to face the judge.

"No further questions, your Honor."

James stepped down and Cruella was called to the stand.

"Now Ms. De Vil, your mental stability has been called into question. We have evidence of your episodes. Can you tell the court what causes you to have these episodes?"

"My temper."

"Can you elaborate?"

"When I get extremely angry I tend to go a bit off the deep end. But Lynn helped me learn to control it. I haven't had an episode in three years."

"Then there's the issue of your temper. Do you have quick temper, Ms. De Vil?"

"I am ashamed to admit I do."

This was common information, but she had no choice but to answer the question.

"What was your reaction when you found out about Ms. Smith's death?"

"I was... heartbroken. You see, Angel was fussy so I was walking her up and down the halls to calm her. When the call came in, it was like the breath had been knocked out of my body. I went immediately to the hospital, and I stayed there until..."

She cleared her throat before going on.

"Until she passed. It felt like my whole world unraveled at the seams. Nothing seems right anymore. There's an emptiness inside of me that seems so vast I don't know if it will ever fade."

The lawyer who had questioned her sat stunned, not having expected such an emotional and honest answer. Gathering himself, he continued on.

"And just what are your feelings toward the child?"

"I love her as if she were my own."

"And would you ever lose your temper with her?"

"Of course, I'm only human. But I know I would instantly regret it as I did when I yelled at Lynn."

James began to sweat as it became crystal clear who the better guardian was. He only hoped Cruella's oddities overshadowed her good qualities.

"Money is not an issue where you're concerned. Would you make sure that Angel has the best of education and opportunity?"

"Of course."

"No further questions."

"If there are no objections, I believe the jury may deliberate on a decision."

The jury was out for several hours, meaning they were having a hard time coming to a decision. Finally, they filed in.

"Have you reached a verdict?"

"Yes, your Honor."

A piece of paper was handed to the judge, who read it.

"This court here by grants full custody of Angelica Loretta De Vil to Cruella Leonora De Vil."

"What?!" James roared from across the room. "How can you give that raging lunatic custody of an infant?!"

"Mr. Smith, we contacted her doctor, who has confirmed that her mental health has indeed improved in the past three years. She is actually more mentally stable than some people in this room right now. Furthermore, you sir, are way out of line. One more outburst like that and I'll have you forcibly removed from the premises."

"But she's not even related to my granddaughter, how can you let her have custody?!"

"Mr. Smith, I warn you..."

"Fine, fine."

Later, after the adoption papers had been signed and sealed, Angel was returned to Cruella. A man brought out the child, who immediately recognized her mother. She reached out toward her and whimpered. The newly-appointed mother's eyes teared up as her daughter was brought out.

"Here, give her to me," she said.

Angel tried to call to her mother, but in the month the trial had been going on she had regressed. She could no longer say the few words she had begun to say before she had been placed in a foster home. She settled for making cooing and squealing noises as she was handed over. The older woman buried her face in the baby's hair, inhaling the strawberry/infant smell she had missed so much.

"Oh, darling, I've missed you." She turned to the man who had brought her her daughter. "Thank you so much."

Outside she found James waiting for her. Angel whimpered and buried her face in her neck.

"What do you want?" she growled.

"I just want to hold my granddaughter for a minute."

Cruella backed up and hugged her baby tighter.

"No, you have no right. Get away from me and out of this country. If I ever see you again I will get a restraining order."

She left him behind shouting explicatives. Once home, the relief at getting Angel back faded and the sadness crashed through her once more. She handed the child off to Alonzo and locked herself in her room. She didn't come out except for meals, and Alonzo was beginning to fear for her sanity. It was obvious she was deeply depressed, but he was worried it would go further.

* * *

><p>A month passed, and Angel began talking again. Alonzo began to grow angry at Cruella for abandoning her. It broke the man's heart when the child would ask for her mother and he would have to explain she was gone, something he felt Cruella should explain. At least he thought she was calling for Lynn, until one day he saw her sitting and staring at Cruella's door.<p>

"What are you doing, child?"

"Mama," she answered while pointing at the door.

His eyes widened as he realized who she had been calling for for weeks. And it just further shattered his heart as he realized how confused the little girl must be and how much she must be hurting. She began to whimper, and he hatched a quick plan. He left her there crying as he slipped around the corner to watch the scene unfold.

"Alonzo!" came a muffled call from behind the door.

He neglected to answer it. It came again, and he could have sworn Angel's cries decreased in volume. When Cruella didn't come out the wails increased in volume until he had to fight the urge to cover his ears. Just barely, he heard the unmistakable click of a door being unlocked. Cruella stepped out into the hall looking exhausted and irritated.

Angel grew silent immediately when she saw her. Cruella's eyes softened as she looked down at the little girl. She squatted down to look at her. Smiling, the child happily grasped the neck of her nightgown.

"Mama," she exclaimed.

The older woman's eyes grew sad, and yet kept the light of happiness they always had whenever she was with Angel.

"Yes, love, you've found me. Your muma's here."

Alonzo felt sorry that it had to be done this way, but she couldn't ignore the world forever, and especially not the child. He watched in silence as she picked the little girl up. Angel nuzzled against her cheek for moment before settling herself and curling into the woman's chest. As she turned to go back to her room, he swore she looked straight at him and mouthed 'thank you'.


	4. Congratulations, It's a Girl

Cruella awoke the morning of October thirty-first to the sound of her daughter laughing. A sleepy smile crossed her features as the laughter continued. Her child was always so happy. She reminded her of Lynn that way. She stretched and sat up as the laughter changed into happy cries of "Mummy!"

Still smiling, she reached over and seized the specially designed baby monitor. She pressed a small blue button, and her daughter's cries ceased.

"Hold on darling, Mummy's coming," she called through the device.

Releasing the button, more laughter met her ears. Standing, she threw on her robe and cinched it loosely around her waist before going down the hall to the baby's room. She only paused briefly outside of what used to be Lynn's room before continuing on. Opening the door to the nursery revealed her daughter, smiling and happily clapping her hands as she laid eyes on her mother. As Cruella approached the crib, Angel pulled herself up to stand, gripping the bars for support.

"Mummy!" the little girl cried happily while reaching toward her mother. "Morning, Mummy!"

"Good morning, my darling," the woman said as she lifted her out of the crib. "Do you know what today is?"

"Ha'ween?" Angel asked, unsure if she was correct, even if Alonzo had just told her about it the day before.

"Well yes, but there's something else that makes today special."

"What?"

"It's your birthday, sweetheart. You're one year old today."

"What's a bir'day?" the child asked in confusion.

"Well," Cruella said as she walked over to the rocker and sat down. "A birthday is a certain day of the year that a person celebrates when they were born. One year ago today, you were born."

She watched as Angel processed this information. She was surprisingly intelligent for a toddler, having begun speaking at eight months old, and talking in full sentences at ten months. She was far ahead of other children her age, at least that's what she was told by the pediatrician. She also possessed a depth of understanding that impressed anyone who had ever come in contact with her. She never mentioned Lynn, though Cruella wasn't sure if this was because she couldn't remember her or because she simply didn't understand why she was no longer with them.

"Bir'day?" Angel asked again.

"Yes darling, birthday." The baby smiled, and Cruella smiled back. "Since it's your birthday-"

She was cut off as Alonzo came into the room. She glared at him, and he shrank back, fully aware that he was not to interrupt her for any reason, especially when she was with Angel. His hand shook as he held out the envelope he had just received. She eyed it with barely concealed contempt.

"Well, what do you want?" His mouth moved, but no words were forthcoming. "Out with it!" she snapped, losing what little patience she had.

"A l-l-letter, M-Madame."

He took a step closer and gave it to her, jumping back as soon as her fingers closed around it. She merely flicked her fingers at him and he scurried away, more than happy to let her be. Absentmindedly, she reached over and handed her daughter a bottle, which she readily took. Using her nails, she easily tore open the envelope. Her eyes teared up as she pulled out the pages within, each of them covered in familiar handwriting, the same handwriting she thought she'd never see again.

_Dearest Cruella,_

_If you're reading this then our daughter is one year old today. I say 'our' and not 'my' for a reason. I know I should tell you this in person, but I'm not sure how. Maybe by the time this letter arrives I'll have already told you and it won't matter anyway. So, here goes. _

_Angel isn't the result of a sperm donor. She is legitimately our daughter by DNA. I know you're probably scoffing in disbelief, and I know I'm probably beside you biting my lip nervously and the baby is on the floor playing with whatever toys you've decided to spoil her with on this special day, but hear me out. _

_Do you recall those horrible months when I was trying to conceive? Of course you do, that was a stupid question. Well, after two failed attempts at insemination I was frustrated and spoke to my gynecologist about my fears. I was so stressed and depressed, not only because I thought there was something wrong with me, but because I also knew that my child would be the heir to your fortune as well as mine. When I mentioned this to her, she told me about an experimental procedure._

_It was only in its beginning stages, she warned me. There was a strong possibility that it wouldn't work. The procedure was this-a child could be born to a couple of the same sex and it would be truly theirs using genetic material from both the parents. We aren't a couple I know, but I thought it would be a good idea for the De Vil heir to actually be a De Vil. I agreed to try it, to be a guinea pig so to_ _speak_.

Here Cruella had to stop reading, shock coursing through her veins. She looked down on her adopted daughter, who, if Lynn was telling the truth, and she had no reason to lie, was actually her daughter by blood. Angel had finished her bottle and was contentedly sucking her thumb, curled against her chest. She looked back to the letter.

_Getting my DNA was easy. They simply removed and froze one of my eggs. Now, getting your DNA proved to be quite a bit harder. I didn't want to tell you in case the procedure didn't take, so I resigned myself to getting the DNA without your knowing. To make a_ _long story short, I took a few hairs from your_ _hairbrush_.

_Somehow, they extracted your DNA and basically impregnated my egg. That day that we went in for "artificial insemination"? They were really putting my fertilized egg back in my womb. The reason we had to wait was the same as if I'd used a sperm donor; they wanted to make sure it was a success. As you know, it was, and now we have a beautiful little miracle to call our own._

She stopped yet again and looked down at her child. While it was true that in the past she thought she saw some of herself in the child, she had shaken it off as wishful thinking. But now, now it all made sense.

_Before you curse me out or slap me or cry or whatever it is you're planning on doing to me, know that I wanted to tell you the minute the nurse told me I was pregnant. But I didn't know how. And then you were so doting while I carried her. I wanted to tell you so many times, just blurt it out for the world to hear. "Cruella, this is your baby, too!"_

_But I couldn't seem to find the courage or the right opportunity. And when you held her and cut her umbilical cord...It was like there was only the three of us in the entire world. It was wonderful, and I wanted to tell you then too, but again, I wasn't brave enough._

_Hopefully, as I said before, by the time this letter reaches Inferno Hall I'll have told you all of this. Hopefully when you read this letter you'll laugh at my cowardice the way that you do that somehow conveys that while you're amused, you also don't think less of me. And hopefully instead of terrifying the baby with an argument we'll hug and cuddle on the couch in the parlor as she plays with all her new toys. But most of all, I hope that if this is the first time you're hearing this because I still couldn't bring myself to tell you, I hope you'll forgive me. Forgive me for lying to you and keeping this secret that very much involves you._

_I didn't mean to lie, but I guess that's what ended up happening. And in case you're wondering how this letter didn't arrive weeks after our daughter was born...let's just say I coerced a friend into holding onto it until the right time. And most of all, darling, remember that I did this partly for you, so that your heir wouldn't be your godchild, but your child. Think of it as all your birthday gifts for the next twenty years lumped together. I love you very much, darling, and I truly couldn't have done this without you._

_This whole year has been amazing, everything, including the nights we were so tired from pacing the halls that we played rock-paper-scissors just to see who would tend to Angel._

_The doctors told me on that day so long ago to expect some resemblances to you to show up sooner or later. Personally, I hope she looks more like you. So don't be alarmed if her beautiful red hair has started to change colors. Now you know why. And I reiterate, please forgive me for keeping this from you. _

_Now, if you have anything you'd like to tell me, or ask me, just go ahead and do it. And if I'm not beside you while you read this, come find me. I'm most likely in my room, pacing the floor. And if you are angry, all I ask is that you don't leave a mark when you slap me._

_Love,_

_Lynn_

Cruella's hand fell to her side slowly, shock, happiness, a bit of anger, and a good chunk of sadness swirling in her heart. She believed her Lynn darling, especially when she shifted through the rest of the papers. There was a copy of Angel's birth certificate, on which her name was listed in the father blank with father having been crossed out and mother written underneath. There was also a DNA test, and if she hadn't believed before she certainly did now, considering the evidence was right in front of her. She still couldn't quite wrap her mind around it.

She looked down at her daughter. Really looked, for the first time since she was born. She took in every inch of her, and she saw it. The blue eyes, what promised to be prominent cheek bones, the aristocratic features, and she had noticed the once vibrant red hair was changing colors, going darker on one side and lighter on the other. Her skin tone was Lynn's, as was her eye shape and nose, and of course her personality, but it looked like the De Vil genes had dominated in the long run.

Now she understood why everyone automatically assumed she was her daughter. She had tried to tell them many times that she had only adopted her, would sometimes whip out the papers that had covered the custody trial to prove it. But now there would be no more of that. It was if the past year had never happened, so different did she feel. Love that had come freely anyway seemed to grow to an immeasurable amount, and pride swelled through her.

"Mummy, play?" Angel asked, tugging on her sleeve and breaking her train of thought.

She smiled down at her daughter, and couldn't refrain from scattering kisses across her face, causing her to squeal and laugh.

"Of course, darling. Why don't we go downstairs and open your birthday presents. Would you like that?"

"Pesent! Pesent! Open pesent, Mummy!"

That was one word she knew, as she was constantly receiving them. Laughing, the woman picked up the little girl and started downstairs to where she knew several brightly colored packages waited.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after giving Angel her bath, reading her a story, and tucking her in, Cruella went into Lynn's room for the first time since the accident. She sat on the bed, which still faintly smelled like her, and cried. She cried for all the moments the young woman had missed, cried because she missed her, cried because she was mad at her, cried because she was still trying to cope. She cried until her eye were sore and there were no tears left to shed. Eventually, when her sobs had subsided into sniffles and she could breathe again, she began to talk.<p>

"I miss you, you know," she said, her voice rough. "When you died you took a piece of me with you. And then there's Angel. Couldn't you have told me before...? And you've missed so much..."

She talked and talked, telling her best friend about their daughter's first words and her first sentence. How she loved the fashion house, and how she was so much like her. About her first steps, which she had taken earlier in the day. And when she had talked herself out, she curled up beneath the blankets and sheets that still had Lynn's scent and fell asleep, her dreams filled with what could have been and with what used to be. And as she fell asleep, she could have sworn she felt a kiss on her forehead.


End file.
